Since I’ve become more open about my atheism, I’ve found my responses to theism in popular culture have changed. I notice theism more and my response to it in a movie can run counter to my impressions of the movie itself.

When it comes to a fictional universe, I accept that gods can exist. The writer has created a universe in which gods are real and I have no difficulty accepting those gods within the context of the story. Immersing yourself in fiction is the suspension of disbelief, after all.

Even if a story is set in the “real” world, if the existence of god is an important part of the story, I can go with it. I don’t immediately find myself pulling away from a story because of that element.

I got asked the question a few weeks ago. You know the question, right?

“Isn’t atheism just another form of religion?”

I gave the flippant answer right away: atheism is a religion in the same way that not collecting stamps is a hobby.

Atheism is the absence of religion. I have no deity guiding what I do.

“Yeah, but isn’t science your religion?”

No. Because if new research shows conclusively that the prevailing scientific paradigm is wrong, I’ll change my view. If the existence of ghosts could actually be proven, I’d totally believe in ghosts.

Star Wars came out in 1977. At the time, I was ten years old and the movie was just fucking Star Wars. Episode IV? Please! As far as we knew, that was all the Star Wars we would ever get.

When I first saw the trailer for the film, it scared the piss out of me. I was a nervous kid and I did not like scary films. There was something about the trailer that made me think it was a scary film.

I put “believer” in quotes because I never accepted the idea of a deity but I was uncomfortable with the idea that there wasn’t one. I’ve never overcome that discomfort but I finally concluded that I don’t have to like something, I just have to accept that it is true.